Origin in Disease
by amethystkrystal
Summary: A story about how an attempt to save a leukemic girl's life changed a tormented teenage boy into the crazed, murderous clown he was destined to become.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

**Vivienne's POV**

"This is Vivienne Mason. She'll be in our Chemistry class for the remainder of the year," my new teacher, Ms. Barry, announced to her class, who, I could tell was very uncomfortable in my presence. But after having leukemia for the past three years, I was used to all the unease around me.

Instead of letting myself feel intimidated, I looked around the room, assessing my classmates. I found it was pretty much the same thing as my previous classes of the day. Half the class couldn't keep their eyes off me and the other half tried to look at anything _but_ me. I honestly didn't know which was worse.

There was one kid who didn't seem to pay any attention to me though, just doodling in his notebook as if I wasn't even there. He was the only kid without a lab partner, and it was pretty easy to tell why nobody would want to partner up with him. He was tall and lanky with ripped jeans and a plain, white t-shirt coated with dirt and other grime. His thick, wavy dirty-blond hair fell in a greasy mess over his face as he continued to draw in his notebook.

"Well, Vivienne-" the teacher began.

"Vivi, " I corrected smoothly.

"Excuse me?" she said, sounding as if she were surprised I had even spoken.

"Vivi," I replied calmly. "I like to be called Vivi, not Vivienne."

"Oh," she said. "Well then. _Vivi_, you can take the empty seat next to Jack over there." She pointed to the scrubby-looking boy, who had looked up at me with interest when the teacher said his name.

I nodded and headed over to the lab station near the window, where the boy (apparently name Jack) sat. He gave me wide smile as I plopped down next to him. His muddy brown eyes twinkled too brightly to be sincere. I didn't like his smile at all; it seemed too mischievous. As it turns out, I was right.

"Well, hellooo sweetheart!" he called flirtatiously. He winked and then snaked his arm around my shoulder. The entire class erupted in laughter.

I glared at him, knowing the boy was obviously joking. There was nothing appealing about me at all. I have plain, freckly skin, and despite being almost 16 years old, there was very little curve to my figure. The only pretty thing about me had been my thick red hair, but that had fallen off thanks to chemotherapy. I wore a pink and black patterned bandana over my bald head.

My anger growing, I shoved the boys arm off me, and spat, "Keep your hands off me!"

Instead of just leaving me alone, he leaned toward me and said, in a false seductive tone, "Oooh, feisty." He mouthed the word _hot_ and blew at kiss at me. Not needing a visit to the principal's office on the first day of a new school, I resisted my urge to slap him.

"Jack!" Ms. Barry cried out sternly. "One more word and you'll go to the office…again."

Jack blew me one last kiss and then settled back into his seat. I rolled my eyes. Of all the people to be partners with, I had to be paired up with this clown.

Jack didn't say another word to me for the rest of class. He did wink at me a few times when the teacher wasn't looking, but I just responded by giving him the finger. If there was one good thing that came out of having leukemia I would be that I've learned to not give a shit about anything and just let go. Life is precious and I wasn't going to waste it at the mercy of some grimy troublemaker. Therefore, I flipped him off several times with no regret; just so he knew I wasn't going to take any of his bull.

Luckily, all we did the entire class was take notes of a slideshow presentation about the history of the Periodic Table. It was pretty simple work that allowed me to be free to take some time and think about things.

I had a hospital appointment today and I was definitely not looking forward to it. I would have to meet an entirely new set of doctors, nurses…the whole shebang. Apparently, Gotham General Hospital has a very good cancer treatment program, so my family moved to Gotham City to make sure I could get the best treatment possible.

Suddenly, the shrill dismissal bell sounded, bringing me back from my thoughts. I was trying to fit my new binder and textbook in my already stuffed book bag when a group of girls approached me.

"Hi, I'm Madison," said the girl in the middle of the group. She had glossy brown hair that she had twisted in a casual up-do. A girl with long, red-dyed hair stood on one side of her, and another girl with blond curls was on the other side. "This is Sammy," she pointed to the red-head. "And this is Kaylee." She pointed to the girl with the blond curls.

"Oh, hi!" I said, still fumbling with my binder.

"We have lunch period next, and we were wondering if you'd maybe want to sit with us?" Madison said. She smiled politely, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Uh, sure," I agreed. Why not? I didn't have anyone else to sit with, and I didn't feel like wandering around the cafeteria like an idiot. "You can go ahead, I just have to get my stupid binder to fit."

"Okay, cool," Madison and the others smiled one last time, and then strode out of the chemistry room.

"You shouldn't sit with them," I heard someone say behind me. I turned around to find Jack staring at me intently. I jumped back in surprised; I thought he'd already left with the rest of the class.

"Why?" I snapped, annoyed he wouldn't leave me alone.

"'Cause they're bitches," he said with a shrug.

"They seem nice," I asserted. Then I added under my breath, "Unlike someone…" I glanced at him and raised my eyebrows.

Jack laughed loudly. "Hate to break it to you, but they're only acting nice because you've got cancer. Hanging out with you will make them look like sweet, caring girls. They try to cover up the sluttish ways." He shook his head in disgust.

I glared at him even though I knew he was right. I was used to having special treatment because of my disease, but he didn't have to spit it out right in my face.

"You see," he continued, ignoring the dirty looks I was throwing at him. "In a way, I'm actually being nicer to you than they are because I'm not lying to you. I'm not faking anything." He pointed at himself. "What you see is what you get."

I thought about his twisted logic, and realized, in a weird way, he was kind of right. Of course, I wasn't going to admit that. Instead I said coolly, "I'm not sitting with you if that's what this is all about."

He snorted. "Fine," he said, seizing his textbook and heading out the door. He called out over his shoulder, "But don't come crying to me when you get caught up in all their bitchy little drama."

Rolling my eyes, I followed him out the door.

* * *

I made my way down the aisle of the bus until I got to the very back. Relieved to finally have some time to relax, I slid into the last seat and leaned my head against the cold window. I closed my eyes and reflected my first day at Gotham High School

As it turned out, Jack was right about those girls. Though they were nice to me, each time someone walked by our table, they had to discuss at least one negative thing about that person. I mostly just ignored their gossip and quietly picked at my baloney sandwich, assessing the cafeteria and my classmates. I did notice that Jack sat alone at a small table in the farthest corner of the room, eating only a small bag of Cheez-Nips for lunch, and doodling in his notebook.

I only talked to the girls one time, and it was a little embarrassing. They had finally decided to stop gossiping and they were discussing plans for the weekend. Trying to be nice, I guess, they asked me what I was doing. I told them I wasn't really sure and I asked if there was a good skate park anywhere is Gotham because I was thinking about going skating. They just looked at me, looked at each other and Madison asked if I was really allowed to skate. The other girls gawked at her and it was just all awkward and embarrassing after that.

Too bad I never found out if there actually is a skate park around. Technically, I'm not supposed to skate because, if I fall and get bruised, it can be a big deal. Still, I love it and I'm actually good enough to not fall on my ass. I was sitting there, thinking about how I really wanted to go skating instead of going to see doctors, when suddenly I felt someone plop down on the seat next to me. I glanced over and saw Jack beside me, giving me another one of his mischievous smiles.

"Ugh, not you again!" I groaned. "Can't you go sit somewhere else?"

"Nope!" he said. To emphasize the fact that he wasn't moving, he swung his legs up and rested them on top of the seat in front of us.

I sighed and turned back to the window, hoping he'd just leave me alone. Of course, he didn't.

"So," he said as the bus started moving. "How'd lunch go? Was I right?"

I shrugged indifferently, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

He burst out laughing and clapped his hands together. "Hah! I knew it!" he exclaimed. "You know, you can always sit with me if you want." He winked and nudged my arm with his elbow.

Smirking, I replied, "No, I'm good."

He looked at me with disappointment and shook his head. Without another word, he took out his notebook and started drawing a cartoon of a stick figure riding a skateboard and then crashing into a tree. That reminded me…

"Hey," I said to him. "You know if there're any good skate parks around here?"

Without even looking up from his drawing he replied, "Yup, there's one right next to my house."

"Where's your house?"

He looked up and glanced out the window. "Right here," he said, as the bus came to a sudden stop. He stood up and walked down the aisle. "Bye."

Before the bus could start moving again, I took a quick surveillance of where this skate park was. From what I could tell, we were in a bad neighborhood with run down houses and walls coated with spray paint. Jack went into a little two-family house with moldy bricks and a broken window. Beside his house, was a small skate park, spray painted and littered with trash.

As we pulled away from the bad neighborhood, I started to feel a little bit of pity for the strange boy who lived in the slums.

* * *

_**So, yeah, there you have it! The first chapter to my new big story. Let me know if you like it and if you want me to continue!**_

_**Thanks so much for reading! :D**_


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

**Vivienne's POV**

Hours later, I was sprinting down the streets of Gotham, clutching my skateboard to my side. I tried to not think about what had happened at my hospital visit and focused on remembering where the skate park was. I had my parents drop me off in a middle class neighborhood I remembered was only a couple blocks away from where the skate park was. They'd never let me set foot in the place if they knew it was really located in the slums of Gotham. In fact the only reason they were letting me skate in the first place was because they felt bad about the hospital visit.

Up ahead, I saw buildings coated with grime and spray paint, so I knew I must be in the right place. Walking further, I recognized Jack's house, and then I saw the skate park next to it. I dropped my board, stepped on and rode into the park. The rails were rusty and the half-pipe looked rotted, but the bowl looked okay despite all the trash and spray paint. I dove in and did a few simple tricks to get warmed up. I was getting prepped to do a more complicated maneuver when someone suddenly called out. I was so deep in concentration and the voice was so unexpected that I almost fell over.

"HEY! SHOULDN'T YOU BE WEARING A HELMET!"

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Jack perched at the edge of the bowl with his feet dangling. He flashed a quick grin at me and I groaned. "What do you want?"

He shrugged. "I was watching you from my window, and I thought you were in need of some safety advice."

"Are you stalking me or something?"

"Uh, no," he said, still giving me a creepy smile. "I live here, so technically you're the one stalking me."

"Whatever," I muttered. I really didn't feel like dealing with him, so I kept skating. He just sat there watching me, and I tried to ignore him.

I cleared my mind, forcing myself to focus only on executing each trick perfectly. That's why I love skateboarding so much. When everything in life completely sucks, I can just hop on my board and forget it all, even if it's just for a few brief hours.

Every few minutes, I would glace over and see that Jack was still there. He would just stare at me like I was the most fascinating thing he's ever seen. Every time I looked at him, he'd give me that trademark creepy grin which I would return with a glare.

An hour later, he was still there and the sun was starting to set. Just as I was admiring the way the tall building of Gotham were silhouetted against the orange glow of the sky, Jack suddenly screamed:

"Oh, CRAP!"

He'd been silent the entire time, so his sudden shout scared me. I felt my feet slip off the skateboard, and I fell backwards. Luckily, I braced myself with my hands enough to reduce the impact. I sighed in relief. A fall like that could do serious damage to me, as much as I hated to admit it.

Standing up and climbing out of the bowl, I shouted, "God dammit, Jack! I almost fell over! _What are you yelling about_?"

For a few seconds, he was silent. His gaze was fixed on the narrow, badly paved road just outside the skate park. Finally, he turned to me and said, "Vivi, get out of here."

For once, he was dead serious and that freaked me out. I asked him why, my voice shaking slightly.

"A lot of gangs like to gather here at night, and you don't wanna stick around," he said, his voice still serious. "Trust me."

"Oh," I said. "Ok. I'll call my mom and have her pick me up a couple blocks away." I retrieved my phone from my pocket, and left my mom a brief message.

Jack looked at me curiously. "Why would you have her pick you up there?"

"She'd never let me come back if she knew the skate park was _here,_" I said pointedly. Quickly, I added, "No offense."

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. A smirk suddenly appeared on his face, which worried me more than his seriousness. By now, I'd learned that Jack's smile meant trouble. Usually for me.

"You know a pretty, young lady like yourself shouldn't be walking the streets of Gotham by herself."

I raised my eye brows at his mock chivalry. "You want to escort me to my mom?"

"Why not?"

"She'll kill me when she sees you." Just one look at his dirty clothes and greasy hair would be enough to put my overprotective mother over the edge.

"If we go now, we'll be there before her, so I'll just leave before she can see me."

"Won't your parents wonder where you are?" I asked.

He snorted. "Nope, probably not. My dad's either passed out drunk or out getting drunk. And my mom's either sleeping with random men for money or snorting cocaine like it's nobody's business."

I stared at him, my eyes wide. Not only was I surprised by _what_ he'd just told me, but also _how_ he told me. He sounded so casual; as if it wasn't a big deal. In fact, his wry tone almost sounded a little _joking _like he was slightly amused by his parent's destructive habits.

He ignored my shocked look and said, abruptly, "Let's go before the gangs show up." He turned and walked down the street.

I nodded and hurried after him, my mind still trying to process what Jack just revealed. One thing was certain, that boy never failed to surprise me.

* * *

**Normal POV**

Jack walked back toward his neighborhood, kicking a small pebble as he went. He took his time as he walked, not really wanting to go home. He knew what would be waiting for him when got there and it wasn't pretty.

He heard the pebble he'd been kicking hit something and he looked down to see an envelope. Under the bright street lamp, he could make out the name "Vivienne Mason" writing neatly on the front of the envelope.

"Hmm," he said to himself. "This must've slipped out of her pocket."

Overcome with curiosity, he opened it. Inside was a neatly typed letter. The stationary bore the insignia and address of the Gotham General Hospital. He began to read, and by the time he finished the letter, a devilish grin was set on his face.

* * *

_**Well, apparently people like this story, so I added Chapter 2! Sorry, it took so long. It seems like my teachers suddenly realized the school year is almost over, so they decided to cram in a bunch of random assignments and projects. I've been so busy with that, I've had barely any time to write! :P**_

_**Anyways, thanks for reading and I really hope you like it! :D**_

_**Please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

**Vivienne's POV**

When I walked into Chemistry class the next morning and saw the envelope addressed to me in Jack's hands, I was relieved. I thought I'd lost it, and in which case, I would be in a lot of trouble. But, looking closer, my relief turned to anger as I noticed the envelope was open. Jack had read my letter.

"How did you get that?" I hissed, slamming my books on the lab table.

He glanced up at me. Ignoring my question, he simply said, "Nice bandanna."

I blinked in surprise, and self-consciously reached up to the green and purple bandanna on my head. Still angry, I said, "Answer the question."

Flipping through his textbook, he didn't even look up at me as he teased, "Where are your manners? You're supposed to thank someone when they compliment you."

"Fine! Thank you!" I snapped in annoyance. "Now, _how did you get that_?"

Still not looking at me, he replied, "You must've dropped it last night. I found it on the sidewalk."

"Why'd you read it?" I said loudly. A few kids in our class were looking at me curiously, but I was too mad at Jack to care.

He shrugged, _still _not even bothering to look at me. That made me even angrier. I mean, the least he could do was pretend to be sorry. Jack was incredibly good at pissing me off.

I groaned in exasperation. Done with trying to argue, I snatched the envelope out of his hands and began to read the letter for the first time.

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_As you may know, your student, Vivienne Mason, has been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). As a result, Vivienne will need to spend extended periods of time at Gotham General Hospital to receive treatment. _

_This letter is to inform you that she will be absent from class frequently and that you should plan accordingly. To ensure that she does not fall behind, we ask that you find a way for Vivienne to receive assignments and class material. _

_Usually, this is done by sending a peer to the hospitalized student and the peer can give them their assignments and help them learn the material. _

_Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!_

_Sincerely,_

_Gotham General Hospital Oncology Ward Staff_

I slowly set the letter down after I finished reading. I glanced at Ms. Barry where she sat at her desk, remembering my doctor said to give this letter to her and all my other teachers.

"I'll do it," Jack said suddenly.

I looked at him in confusion. "Do what?"

He tapped the last part of the letter with his index finger. "I'll give you your assignments and stuff while you're in the hospital."

Completely taken by surprise, I asked, "You're joking right?"

He shook his head, his dirty hair flopping against his face. He had that same serious expression from last night. I was beginning to wonder if he's bipolar. On second he's joking about my lack of manners and the next he's offering to help me while I'm in the hospital.

"Why would you want spend your time at the hospital helping me with schoolwork?" I questioned, still not entirely believing he was serious.

"It's better than being at home," he muttered.

I was about to ask what he meant by that, but then I remembered last night and what he told me about his parents. I bit my lip, embarrassed. Neither one of us said anything for a moment.

Finally, I told him, "Fine. You can do it." Oh god, what did I just get myself into?

He smiled at me, but it was a different kind of smile. There was still that slight hint of mischievousness, but it seemed happier, more genuine. "Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, I've got a radiation appointment at 11oclock. I'm gonna need you to bring me my work for Math and Geography."

* * *

_**Woot! Two chapters up in one weekend! **_

_**I only had Chapter 2 up for a day and I've already gotten a bunch of really nice reviews, favorites and story alerts! Thanks so much guys!**_

_**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**Review! :D  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

**Vivienne's POV**

I was watching some corny sitcom on the tiny TV in the corner of my recovery room when I heard the door open. My dad was at work, and my mom had just gone to sign some paperwork. She couldn't be back already and I wasn't expecting anyone else.

I leaned forward in my hospital bed to see Jack striding toward me, carrying a bunch a papers. I did a double take. Honestly, I hadn't expected him to actually show up.

"Alright, here's you stuff!" he said, dumping the pile of papers on the edge of my bed. He glanced around the room for a moment and then said, "Hey, where can I take a leak?"

I rolled my eyes and jerked my head toward the bathroom just beside my bed. He smiled, giving me a thumbs up, and then walked into the bathroom. I sighed and leaned my head back against the headboard in exhaustion. I looked at my assignments stacked at the edge of my bed and groaned. All I really wanted to do was sleep.

A few minutes later, I head the toilet flush and Jack emerged. He saw me lying exhausted and gave me an uncertain look. "Uh…are you ok?"

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and grumbled, "I don't want to do the assignments."

He chuckled. "I biked all the way over hear to give them to you, so you'd better do them."

I raised my eyebrows. "You _biked_ here?" If I remembered correctly, he lived on the other side of Gotham.

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "My parents obviously weren't going to drive me, and I really can't afford bus fare."

I just nodded, letting the conversation drop. I hated when he mentioned his parents. It put me in an awkward position where I felt like I should say something, but I didn't really know what to say or I might say the wrong thing. Jack, however, didn't seem at all bothered by it.

Leaning over across the bed, I snatched up my Algebra II assignment and examined it. All the numbers seemed to blur together, and I none of it made any sense. I groaned. Math was never my good subject.

"Need help?" Jack asked, smirking. He was slouched in the small, red armchair beside the window.

"Yeah," I mumbled. Though I really did need help, I was reluctant to admit it.

Still smirking, he dragged the armchair over to my bedside and launched into an explanation. I was surprised. It didn't look like it, but Jack apparently paid attention in class and was, in fact, very intelligent. He actually knew what he was talking about and was able to explain it in a way that made sense. With his help, I had finished all my Algebra II work in half the time it would normally take me.

Then, we moved on to my History work. I was pretty decent at that subject, but I let Jack help anyways because I was too tired to do much effort. Also (and I really _do not_ want to admit this), I sort of liked having Jack around. He liked to joke around a lot and it helped take my mind off my fatigue. He was still the most annoying person I've ever met, but now that I was used to him, it was becoming more amusing that tiresome.

We finished the work quickly and lapsed into watching that stupid sitcom; Jack's hilarious imitations of the character being the only entertaining part. Just as the show was ending, I glanced out the window and saw the sun setting. Jack should probably go home; my mom should be back any minute. However, knowing what Jack's home life was like, I didn't really want to pressure him into leaving, so we ended up watching more TV.

Just as the opening credits were coming to an end, I heard the door open and I looked over to see my dad walking into the room. He was a tall, heavyset man with balding strawberry blond hair and freckles. He was still wearing his uniform from work. Back in my old town he was the Chief of Police, but since we moved to Gotham, he got a job as part of the security team at Wayne Enterprises.

My dad gave me a tired smile, which turned into a frown at the sight of Jack in his typical scrubby attire. With a slightly rude tone, my dad asked, "And who are you?"

In a halfhearted attempt to appear presentable, Jack tucked his dirty, tangled hair behind his ears. Using an a very uncharacteristically polite tone, Jack answered, "My name's Jack, sir. I'm here to give Vivi her school assignments."

I snorted, amused at the sight of Jack's show of trying to impress my dad. Jack gave me an exasperated look in return.

Ignoring Jack, my dad turned to me and said, "Mom left to pick you up some dinner. I told her to get Chinese because I know that you favori-"

My dad never got to finish his sentence because, at that moment, an intense wave of nausea hit me, and I lurched forward, my hand clasped over my mouth. Seeing I was about to puke, Jack leapt out of the armchair, grabbed the nearby trashcan and thrust it in front of me, just in time for me to vomit noisily into it.

When my vomiting finally ended, I sat up. My head was pounding, and I was so dizzy I had to grip the edge of the mattress to keep from falling over. Jack leaned over and handed me some tissues from the dispenser beside the bed and a glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table. I wiped my face and took tiny sips of water. After a few moments of dead silence, I finally finished the water and set it down on the bedside table.

I glanced at Jack. He was watching me apprehensively. His expression was nervous with slight trace of fear and, deep down, I could see a little bit of concern. It was very different from the usual carefree look he usually had.

I mumbled quick "thanks", and he just nodded. Suddenly, he smiled and said, offhandedly, "Well, I guess Chinese wouldn't be the best idea now." He chuckled to himself.

Typical Jack: I had just thrown up, and he managed to make a joke out of it. I smiled weakly, despite myself. Meanwhile, out of the corner of my eye, I could see my dad glaring.

"Well," Jack said, looking out the window. It was getting dark. "I should probably head home now. Nice to meet you Mr. Mason. Later, Vivi!" He flashed me that trademark smirk and winked.

And, with that, he walked out.

* * *

_**Wow, I'm really sorry it's been so long! I broke my ankle last month, so I really haven't had any motivation to do anything. :P**_

_**Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!**_

_**Thanks for reading and please review! :D**_

_**P.S. I have a poll up on my profile! VOTE NOW!**_


	5. Chapter 5

CHATPER 5

**Vivienne's POV**

The next day at school, I sat with Jack for lunch. I did this for two reasons. Number 1: I _did not_ feel like sitting with Madison and her crew, and since nobody else had offered to sit with me, I really couldn't go anywhere else. Number 2: I sorta kinda like talking to Jack.

He had a way of making me feel like I could just be myself. I know it sounds kinda corny, but it's true. When I sat at Madison's table, I felt so out of place. It was like the minute I opened my mouth, everything became awkward. Maybe it's because I have leukemia and people think they have to walk on eggshells around me, but I swear Jack is the _only one _who treats me like a normal person, like I don't have cancer.

"What did I tell you?" Jack said as I set my tray down next to him. He was leaning dangerously far back in his chair with his feet propped up against the edge of the table and a gleeful smirk set on his face.

"Shut up," I snapped, plopping into the seat beside him. See this is what I mean! If I snapped like that to Madison, or any other student for that matter, I'd get weird stares, but Jack didn't seem to really mind.

"Well, someone's touchy," he remarked, biting into his ham and cheese sandwich.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at the cafeteria clock. I had another radiation appointment, and my mom was supposed to pick me up after my lunch period. I had about 20 minutes.

"By the way, I've got another appointment today. I need you to get my stuff from Biology," I said casually.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? _Again_? You better not puke this time."

"Yes, again. You volunteered to do this so quit complaining!" I replied. My cheeks flushed red as I remembered last night. "And its not like I can help it."

A trace of sympathy briefly appeared on his face. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he mumbled.

We were silent for a moment after that. Finally, I spoke. "You know, you've got some pretty good reflexes. I don't think I've every seen anyone react so fast. You had that trashcan in front of me just in time!" I laughed nervously, trying to make light of the subject.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "My parents get hungover a lot. I can tell pretty quickly when someone's about to toss their cookies."

Ugh, again with talking about his parents! What did he expect me to say to that? I decided to let the subject drop, and we lapsed into silence until I was called down to the office.

Later on, he came to the hospital to drop of my schoolwork. This time, however, my mom was in the room when he came by. She looked at him like he was some kind of disgusting bug that she wanted to squish. I had to give Jack credit; he managed to stay extremely polite to my extremely rude and overprotective parents. It was sad that they took one look at his scrubby appearance and immediately judged him to be a horrible person.

So from then on, Jack came almost every day to the hospital to give me schoolwork. My parents grew to just simply ignoring him. Over time, Jack and I became closer. We talked and joked, and I was always eager for his company, mostly because of his ability to make me temporarily forget about my illness. He was still annoying with his witty remarks to everything, but I always had a quick comeback. We would constantly get into arguments that usually ended up with us laughing our asses off.

Now, I know what you're thinking, but Jack and I were _definitely_ not in love. I saw him as like one of those brothers that can really, really piss you off, but you like hanging out with them anyways. I could never see Jack in romantic way.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, April vacation had begun. I had school off for an entire week, and while I was happy about that, a part of me was a little sad. No schoolwork meant no Jack.

I was in my recovery room after a radiation treatment, dozing off to sleep, when I heard my door open. Thinking it was one of my parents, I grumbled, "Go away. I'm sleeping."

"Aww, c'mon! I came all the way over here to see you!" a familiar voice said.

"Jack?" I said drowsily. My eyes snapped open to see Jack standing over me, grinning. I was instantly alert. "What are you doing here? It's April vacation. There's no school."

"Well, I've got nothing else to do, so I thought 'Why not got visit my dear friend in the hospital?'" he said, still grinning. I smiled back.

He turned his attention to the TV and began imitating the overly-enthusiastic game show host. I laughed and we began joking and talking, my fatigue already forgotten.

After Jack left, I realized something. He had come to see me, even though he didn't have to. Why had he done that? Then the answer came to me: we were friends. And we were pretty much each other's only friend, so by default, that made us best friends.

* * *

_**So I think this is my favorite chapter so far! I hope you liked it, and thanks for reading! :D**_

_**Please review!**_

**_Thanks WithLoveForever and Madness is me, my ankle is doing really good. I only have 5 more days in my aircast! (:_**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

**Vivienne's POV**

I leaned against the bus window, watching the spring rain pelt the glass. Jack sat beside me, prattling on about some stunt he saw in a movie and how he could possible try it at home. I wasn't really listening, absently watching raindrops trail down the glass and blur the city buildings we passed. I felt like complete crap that morning. The bus started to turn into the school parking lot; even that small shift made my nauseous stomach churn.

"So getting the gasoline wouldn't be a problem, and I could probably build a ramp big enough. I think the only problem would be stealing a car, but even then I – oh!" Jack was cut off mid-speech when the bus suddenly stopped short. Jack and I lurched forward, slamming face-first into the seat in front of us. I clamped my hand over my mouth, fighting the urge to puke.

"You alright?" Jack asked me, looking genuinely concerned.

I just nodded weakly, not trusting myself to be able to open my mouth.

"I fucking hate that bastard," Jack grumbled, glaring out the window.

Following his gaze out the window I saw the vehicle that had apparently cut us off. It was a sleek, black convertible. Despite the freezing rain, the top was down, and I could see the tall, dark-haired driver extending his middle finger at the bus driver. In the passenger seat, I recognized Madison, one of the girls I had sat with on the first day of school.

"Who's?" I asked, not recognized the dark-haired boy.

"Bruce Wayne," He said the name with pure contempt. "Also known as the biggest asshole to walk the planet."

"Hmm," I mumbled. The name sounded ridiculously familiar thought I couldn't remember exactly where I'd heard it.

"His father owns Wayne Enterprises, so not only is he _'stunningly handsome_' and _'star quarterback_', but he's also the richest kid in Gotham," Jack said with disgust.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering where I'd heard the name Wayne before. "My dad is part of the security team at Wayne Enterprises."

Jack just nodded stiffly. The bus came to a stop, and we rose from our seats, filing out into the aisle. I was just exiting the bus when Bruce walked by with one arm around a euphoric-looking Madison as they walked across the school courtyard together. I had to admit Bruce was attractive in the cliché, high school fantasy way with his tall, muscled figure, dark wavy hair and glinting eyes. Still, he carried himself with the casual stride of an ignorant jerk.

"And apparently he's going out with Madison Yates," I murmured to Jack as we stepped out of the bus and they passed by, laughing loudly together.

"Oh, so that's his whore this week!" Jack said, sounding amused. When I looked at him in puzzlement he explained, "Bruce goes out with a different girl just about every week. He actually went out with Madison last year too, but they broke up because she caught him screwing around with some freshman girl under the bleachers. Bruce got so mad at her that he spread a rumor that she had herpes. Madison couldn't get a date for months."

"Gross," I said, screwing up my face in disgust. "How do you know this? I though you hated all that gossip."

"Just because I don't approve of it, doesn't mean I don't find it entertaining," Jack said. He smirked, his eyes twinkling with dark bemusement. "Watching people's lives fall apart, especially the ones everyone seems to look up to," He gestured to Bruce and Madison, who now being greeted by a large group of friends. "is very amusing."

I was lying alone in the hospital room, waiting for the doctor to come in. Right after school, I'd gotten a nosebleed and then fainted. My mom, being the overprotective psycho she is, panicked and brought me to the hospital. The doctor had me go through all sorts of tests and said I'd be doing a lot of waiting. My mom had gone to pick me up some dinner, so in my state of complete boredom, I sent a text message to Jack, telling to come down to the hospital and entertain me.

There room was completely silent, save for the noise of rain striking the roof of the hospital and then a faint buzzing noise came from the bedside table. I hurriedly picked up my vibrating phone, flipped it open and read:

_**E**__**ntertain you? Wat am i a clown? **__**lol jk jk but seriously i cant come tonight. mr edmunds gave me a detention because ive missed the past 10 hmwk assignments. :P Cya 2moro and srry!**_

Extremely disappointed, I set the phone back on the bedside table. Sighing, I settled myself back in the bed and closed my eyes. Just as I was finally getting myself relaxed, I heard the door creak open.

"Vivienne?" A voice I recognized as one of my doctors called out. "Are you awake?"

"Yup." Reluctant, I opened my eyes and sat up. My mother, father and Dr. McNammen walked. I noticed they all looked very grave. Tears glistened in my mother's eyes and my father just seemed very stiff. Dr. McNammen, on the other hand, had an apologetic look in his eye.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, fearing the answer. My mother let out a choked gasp, and my father wrapped a comforting arm around her. I felt my heart thrum and throat tighten.

"Actually, no," Dr. McNammen said blandly. He pulled up a chair beside my bed and sat his heavy frame down. "I've got some bad news."

I suddenly felt very bad, sinking feeling in my stomach, and I had a fleeting wish for Jack to be with me.

"The test results came back and you're condition has elevated to a distressing level," he spoke with force calmness. He paused for a moment, looking down at his feet. My mother had broken into a complete sob, and even my father's eyes were brimmed with tears. That's when I knew I was about to hear the words every cancer patient fears.

"You have three months to live."

* * *

_**AHHHH I'm sorry it's been so long. I've had bad writers block for this story and I've mostly been focusing on my original book I'm writing. But not to worry, I'm almost done with Chapter 7, so it'll be up soon! :D**_

_**Thanks for reading! And please review! **_


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

**Vivienne's POV**

"Wh-what do mean I have three months to live?" I asked Dr. McNammen in a voice barely more than a whisper. Though it was perfectly clear what he meant, I needed him to explain more; I needed to find some kind of way to reverse it, to stop the inevitable.

"I mean that your treatments are not working and your leukemia has progressed dangerously. At the rate it is progressing, I estimate you have three months left." He spoke calmly over the noise of my mother's relentless sobbing. Looking down at the floor, he added, "I'm sorry."

Dr. McNammen had explained what three months left meant in logical, scientific terms, but I thought about it in a more personal way. It meant no more skateboarding. It meant I'd be a lot weaker. It meant more time in the hospital. It meant I only had three months left with the best friend I had ever known.

Before anyone could stop me, I reached for my cell phone on the bedside table and called Jack's number. Tears threatening to spill from my cheeks, I listened as the phone continued to ring and then finally brought me to voicemail. Finally, the tone sounded and I left my message, blurting out whatever came to mind.

"Jack? It's me, Vivienne. Look, I have to talk to you. It's important, so if you could pick up that would be great, but that's obviously not going to happen so I might as well tell you now. I'm dying. The doctor just said so. I've got three months and, well, I just had to tell you, so just call me back! Okay? Bye."

Closing my phone, I realized I probably sounded so stupid. It wasn't until a teardrop landed on my phone that I discovered I was crying.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" I screamed through my tears, ventilating all my worries and frustrations in those words. All eyes turned to Dr. McNammen.

"Well," he began, his calm demeanor fading slightly. "There is a brand new drug that's just been developed, specifically for curing various types of cancers. Not much is known about it, but Gotham General Hospital has acquired a sample. We could try that." My parents faced immediately lit up and they opened their mouths to speak. However, Dr. McNammen held up his hand. "The only problem is, the drug is so new and untested that insurance companies will not pay for it. You'll have to pay for this yourself."

The delighted looks of my parent's faced disappeared immediately. They exchanged worried, frantic glances. Finally, my father spoke, his voice weary.

"How much would this cost?"

"$500,000." Dr. McNammen gave us an all pitying look.

My heart sank when I saw the look on my parent's face; we could never afford that. I was going to die.

_If I leave here tomorrow would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on now, 'Cause there's too many places I've got to see_.

"Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynrd played on my iPod again for the umpteenth time as I lay across the bus seat with my head leaning against the cold window, nodding slightly to the beat of the song. I'd had it set on repeat since last night, when I was upstairs in my room trying to drown out my parent's discussion about what they were going to do about my situation.

I felt the road start to get bumpy, a sign that we were near Jack's neighborhood. I was dreading seeing him. He hadn't returned my embarrassing albeit import message; I took that as a bad sign.

Sure enough, when Jack stepped onto the bus minutes later, I immediately sank down in my seat though he probably recognized my pink and black skate shoes that stuck out into the aisle. To my surprise, he didn't attempt to sit beside me. Instead he took the seat in front of me and peer over edge at me anxiously. I slowly removed my headphones under his frantic gaze.

"So," he began slowly. "What's this I hear about you _dying_?" He took out his cell phone and waved it at me. My cheeks went pink as I remembered the voice mail I had left.

"The doctor said my leukemia has gotten worse and the treatments aren't working," I explained.

"And there's nothing they can do?" he said, frowning.

"Well, there was one thing the doctor said." At my words, Jack seemed to perk up slightly. "There's a new drug available, but not much is known about it yet. Insurance won't cover it, and it cost $500,000."

Jack gritted his teeth and was silent. Loud, obnoxious dance music suddenly blared, and I looked out the window to see Bruce Wayne and a couple friends speeding by in his fancy convertible. Jack's mouth thinned, eyes filled with fury.

"You know what I can't _fucking_ stand?" he whispered menacingly. "How stupid, arrogant pricks like Bruce Wayne have all the money in the freaking world, but the people who's lives depend on it," He nodded towards me. "Always seem to have nothing." He shook his head and looked at me very seriously. "The world's a joke. A sick, sick joke."

I nodded, agreeing completely.

"You know what?" Jack said with sudden brightness. The serious, angered look was gone, and now he just seemed very excited. "We're going to get the money for your treatment."

"How?" I asked, half alarmed by his sudden enthusiasm and half hopeful at the prospect of living.

"We're going to rob Wayne Enterprises."

* * *

**_Well I hope you liked this chapter! :D_**

**_Plz review! Thanks!_**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

**Vivienne's POV**

Jack didn't show up to Chemistry that morning, so I by lunch time I was pretty anxious at to where he was. Of course, he could have gone home sick, but somehow, that seemed unlikely. Sure enough, 10 minutes into our lunch period, Jack stalked into the cafeteria and took his usual seat at our table.

"Where have you been?" I asked him as he pulled out a baloney sandwich from a brown paper bag.

"The library," he replied matter-of-factly, taking a bite of his sandwich.

I looked at him in disbelief. "You skipped Chemistry to go to the _library_?"

"Yup," he said, propping his legs up on the table.

"Why?"

"Because I had to look up these." With a swift, overdramatic motion he reached into his pocket, pulled out a stack of papers and slid them across the table toward me. I stared at them. All they seemed to be were pages and pages of random numbers and codes. Only one thing caught my eye. "Wayne Enterprises" seemed to be printed on the corner of each page.

"What are these?" I asked suspiciously, sliding them back toward him.

"Codes. More specifically, codes for computer system at Wayne Enterprises." He sounded casually, and when I looked at him in complete shock, he just shrugged and said, "I'm good at hacking."

"What exactly do you plan to do with these codes?" I asked, thought I already suspected the answer.

"I plan to access the Wayne Enterprises financial account and transfer the money to your family." He spoke calmly, though there was an underdone of fierce certainty. Seeming reluctant, he added, "There is one problem."

I raised my eyebrows. "And that problem would be…"

He sighed and explained. "Once I get into the computer system, I can use those codes to access anything. The only problem is actually getting into the computer system. I'd need a legitimate login name and password; it's too well protected to just hack."

"So how are you getting a login name and password?" I asked, getting more intrigued with his plan. If he could pull this of, I would live. The thought was something to cling to.

"Bruce Wayne." He said the name with bitter contempt, as if he wished desperately there was another way. "He's the heir to the entire business. He'll have one."

"And how are we going to get that from him?" I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer. Knowing Jack, it was probably not good.

To my surprise, Jack smiled. He leaned over and snatched one of the flyers hanging on the nearby wall. He handed the bright pink paper to me and I read it, growing ever more puzzled by the time I finished.

"What does the Spring Dance have to do with anything?" I asked, setting the flyer down on the table.

He smiled that trademark smile, sending chills down my spine. He leaned over the table and whispered the plan in my ear. By the time he finished, my heart was pounding with the idea of what he had planned.

* * *

**_Well this chapter might not be that great and its kinda short, but I felt like I had to write SOMETHING so here it is! :D_**


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

**_Vivienne's POV_**

I walked through the front door of my house and made my way to the kitchen, sinking tiredly onto the counter stool. My mom didn't even look up from the plate of lasagna she was making as she asked me how my day was.

"Good," I replied tonelessly like I always did. I waited a moment for her to put the lasagna in the oven before I spoke again. "Hey mom?"

"Yeah, hon?" she said as she putting the oven mitts back in the drawer and looking at me.

"I need a dress," I said, biting my lip.

"A dress?" She looked thoroughly surprised, and I really can't say I blamed her. Usually I detested any kind of formal wear, instead preferring my ripped jeans and band t-shirts.

"Yeah, uh, the Spring Dance is coming up and I was thinking about maybe going." My words came out in a rush, and my mom was still looking at me oddly.

"I see," she said, her lips pursed. "And is Jack going too?" She sounded cold when she said Jack's name.

I felt my cheeks go red, realizing what she meant. "No! Well, uh, yeah but we're not going together or anything."

She gave me an amused kind of smirk and then asked, "Do you have a lot of homework tonight?" I shook my head.

"Alright, well then I guess we can go to the mall tonight and find something." She smiled, actually excited at the prospect of taking her tomboy daughter shopping for once. "If you want, we could get a wig and I could do something really nice with it?"

I smiled back. "Yeah Mom, that'd be great."

Dress shopping was a totally new experience for me and to be honest, I kind of expected a lot more out of it. I mean, I'd always hear girls making a big deal about it, so I figured there must be something really special about it. Granted, they usually went with their friends and not with their mother who has a completely different sense of fashion.

Still, I have to admit it was fun browsing through the aisles, looking through all the different colors and patterns and unleashing my inner girly girl. In the end, I picked out a dark blue strapless dress with black lace. I could tell my mom disagreed with the lack of straps and the fact that it fell above my knees, but Jack had told me short and strapless would be instrumental to our plan.

The wig was red, a shade darker than my hair before chemotherapy. During the car ride home, my mom prattled on about all the different hairstyles we could do. I mostly tuned her out, staring out the window and thinking about Jack's plan and all the ways it could go wrong.

"Vivienne?" My mom said, breaking me away from my thoughts. I sat up in my seat and turned toward her.

"Yeah?"

"If it's not Jack, then why _are_ you going to this dance?" she asked tentatively. "I mean, you've never liked going to these things…"

Well I couldn't tell her the truth; it would just create a lot of problems. So I went with a really sappy story.

"Well, like you said, I've never really gone to one of these before, and after what the doctor said, I might not ever be able to so I figured I'd try it out."

As I said the words, I suddenly realized how true they were. There were so many things I hadn't done that any teenage girl ought to have. I'd never been to a dance, I'd never gone on a date, I'd never kissed a boy…It didn't matter how much of a tomboy I was, deep down I still kinda wanted those things.

"Oh Honey," she sighed, reaching over and clasping her hand on my shoulder. She gave me a sad attempted at a reassuring smile and returned her eyes to road. I could see tears welling up in the corners.

_Please Jack, _I thought to myself. _Don't fail. This plan can't fail._

Third Person POV

Jack slammed his front door and stepped into the living room, throwing his backpack on the nearby couch. He wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming scent of beer and cigarettes. Even after living like this his entire life, he'd never get used to the smell.

"Hey Pops?" he called.

To his surprise, a voice slurred from upstairs. "Whaddaya want?" Jack hadn't actually expected his father to be home.

"You got a suit I can borrow?" Jack said, climbing up the stairs and heading to his parents room.

"A wha'?"

"A suit." Jack leaned against the doorframe, looking at the sight before him with disgust. His father, a balding man with bloodshot eyes and a protruding beer belly, lay sprawled on the bed watching the tiny TV in the corner with a beer bottle in one hand and the remote in the other.

"What the fuck ya' need a suit for?" His father took a long swig from the bottle, draining it. He set the empty bottle on the nightstand and lit a cigarette.

"School dance," Jack said through his teeth.

His father shrugged and tapped the ashes from the cigarette onto the carpet. "I don't got a suit. I don't need to dress like some kind of yuppie for my profession."

"Drug dealing doesn't count as a profession," Jack muttered.

His father's eyes went wide. "What the hell did you just say?"

Jack balled up his fists and said loudly, enunciating every word, "I said drug dealing doesn't count as a profession."

He barely ducked in time as his father sent the empty beer bottle hurling toward him. It hit the wall behind him, sending pieces of glass everywhere.

"You ungrateful little bastard!" His father seized another empty bottle and threw it at Jack, who moved out of the way, stepping into pieces of glass. "I put food on the table, I give you clothes, I give you a roof above your head, and this is what I get!" He sent another bottle flying. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Jack didn't need telling twice. Stepping on more glass, he ran down the hallway and back downstairs. His heart racing, he collapsed onto the couch and examined his feet. They were covered in blood and tiny pieces of glass. Wincing and muttering curses under his breath, he pulled the pieces from his feet. He went to the kitchen to find a washcloth to clean the blood. As he wiped the blood and bandaged his feet, Jack noticed his father's wallet on the counter.

Without out any guilt, only a sense of satisfaction, he pulled a hundred dollar bill from the wallet, hopped on his bike and rode to the nearest clothing store.

* * *

**_AAHHH IM SORRY! It's been waaayyy too long! I've had a bad combination of writers block/laziness and an overload of schoolwork. :P_**

**_But I'm back with this chapter..._**

**_It's actually one of my favorite chapters so far. I just like the contrast between Vivienne's life at home and Jack's. I know not much happens plot-wise but I felt like this was kind of needed._**

**_Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review! :D_**


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

_Vivienne's POV_

The date of the Spring Dance came fast. Before I knew it, I was in my mom's car, wearing the blue dress and the hair of my wig pulled up in a fancy bun. The theme for the dance was a masquerade, so I clutched an old tiger mask I had from a childhood trip to the zoo.

"You nervous, hon?" my mom asked, peering over at me from the driver's seat as we turned into the school parking lot.

"What's there to be nervous about?" I scoffed. _I mean, it's not like what happens tonight pretty much decides whether or not I live or die,_ I thought to myself.

My mom just smiled and pulled the car to a stop in front of the school. I could already see people milling in wearing all sorts of masks. I took a deep breath, put the tiger mask on, said good bye to my mom and stepped out of the car.

I headed to the gymnasium where the dance was being held. Paper decorations and balloons covered the walls. A DJ played loud dance music as kids gathered near the speakers dancing. There was a table with snacks and punch set up across the room, near the entrance.

I scanned the crowd for Jack and spotted him casually leaning against the gym wall, drinking a glass of punch and watching the people on the dance floor. He dressed up nice, I had to admit. The suit he wore looked new, and his dirty blond hair looked washed for once. He had a clown mask on, which I thought fit him quite well.

"Hey Jack!" I called, walking toward him.

"Yeah, what do you wan-…oh!" He turned away from the dance floor and stared at me, which creeped me out somewhat because of the clown mask. He strode toward me. Through the slits in the mask, I could see his eyes going wide. "Vivienne?"

"Yup."

"You look, uh, different," he said, his eyes still on me.

"Well I'm wearing a wig and make up…" I said, wishing I could see his face better through the mask.

He nodded and then suddenly looked focused. "Alright, so the plan..."

"Yeah, the plan…." I looked around quickly. "Is Bruce here yet?"

He nodded, and pointed. "He over there in the big glasses with the fake moustache."

I looked over, and sure enough, there he was, dancing with big group of his friends. I frowned. Our plan was very simple, but it very much depended on the perfect positioning and timing of Bruce Wayne.

"We have to get him to notice me," I said.

Jack nodded. "Come on." Without warning, he seized my wrist and pulled me across the gym to the dance floor just a few feet away from where Bruce and his friends where. Jack started nodded his head and moving his body casually to the music.

"Dance!" he hissed at me, rolling his eyes.

Not being much of a dancer, I just kinda copied what everyone else was doing, but Jack shook his head at me. "You have to be sexy about it!"

"What?" I whispered back, mortified. "How?" Getting the login from Bruce was probably going to be easier than this.

"I don't know!" Jack snapped. "Toss your hair, shake your hips…do something!"

I took his advice, feeling like some kind of idiot slut, but Jack didn't make anymore comments so I figured it must be working. At some point during the song, I glanced over at Bruce to see he was staring right at me. That goodness for the mask because I felt my cheeks go pink. I managed to give Bruce a timid smile and then turned quickly back to Jack.

_He's staring at me!_ I mouthed.

Jack looked at Bruce and then back at me. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Go get some punch." I gave him a confused look, but he just shook his head and gave me a shove.

Still puzzled, I left the dance floor and crossed the room to the punch bowl. Just as I started pouring myself a glass, Bruce stopped dancing and made his way toward me. I looked at Jack and he gave me a very "I-told-you-so" kind of face.

Trying to act casual, I stepped back from the punch bowl and stood against the wall, looking around the gym with an indifferent kind of look on my face. Sure enough, Bruce poured himself some punch and came to stand next to me.

"I don't think I've seen you around," he said, sounding friendly. "You new here?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh cool." He held out his hand. "I'm Bruce Wayne, by the way."

I shook his hand. "Lexi McGavin," I said, giving him the fake name Jack and I had come up with.

"So where're you from?" he asked, giving me a charming smile. For I second, I could almost see why girls fell all over him. Almost. Then I remembered he was only being nice because he thought I was a brand new toy.

"New York, my dad's job got him transferred here." Jack and I had already worked my fake story, just in case Bruce started asking questions like this.

"You ever go to dances in New York?" He gestured vaguely around the gym.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sometimes. Dances kinda bore me, but I'll go if there's nothing else to do." _Or if it's part of a plan that will pretty much save my life._

"Is this dance boring you?" he asked.

I really didn't know how to answer this one, so I went with the truth. Giving him a slightly apologetic grin, I said, "Yeah, kinda."

He chuckled. "Me too." He drained the last of his punch, crumbled the little paper cup and threw it into the trashcan. Then he turned back to me and brushed a loose piece of strand behind my ear. "So since we both think this dance is boring, how about having our own little party? Just the two of us." He winked and I knew exactly where this was going.

"Sure," I said, winking back. The first part of the plan had gone over smoother than I'd hoped, but there was still plenty of room for things to go wrong.

He took my hand and pulled me out the gymnasium door. I barely had time to look over my shoulder to see Jack sprinting through the exit on the opposite side.

* * *

_**Woot! I updated within a week! haha**_

_**So yeah, I know this is a totally cliffhanger, but I'm working on the next chapter so it hopefully won't be long!**_

_**Thanks for reading! :D**_

_**Plz review**_


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

_Vivienne's POV_

Bruce and I speed walked down the hallway, our footsteps cutting through the silence. He was grinning broadly and I tried to look pleased and confident but my heart was racing. All I could think about were things that could go wrong, a janitor could catch us or one of Bruce's friends would go looking for him or-

BANG!

Bruce fell to the ground with a loud thud as we turned a corner and Jack appeared out of nowhere, bolting down the hall and collided straight into Bruce. For a moment, he was too shocked to even move as Jack pinned him to the ground, but he recovered fast. With a cry of indignation, he shoved Jack away.

However, Jack was fast. Before Bruce could even get to his feet, Jack plowed him into the nearby lockers, sending a metallic banging sound down the corridor. The two of them pretty much got into an all out brawl right there on the linoleum tiled floor, throwing punches and aiming kicks. To be honest, I wasn't really sure who was going to win. I mean, Bruce was obviously the stronger one, being a jock and all, but Jack was fast and he fought dirty.

It seemed like years of pent up hatred for each other pretty much got released right then and there. I'd never seen Jack so…_brutal_. He was like some kind of wild beast when he fought; throwing random punches, even resorting to biting and scratching at one point. It was almost scary; I couldn't believe this was the same boy who brought me my homework when I was in the hospital. I knew Jack wasn't some kind of goody-two shoes but still…

After several minutes, Jack finally managed to get Bruce pinned face-first against the lockers. Splatters of blood littered the floor and stained both of their suits. Bruce had lost his fake glasses and moustache a long time ago, so I could see the blood spurting from his nose and all the scratches and bruises. Miraculously, Jack's clown mask was still on his face. Though none of his bruises were visible, I could see a train of blood trickling down his chin from behind the mask.

With one hand still pinning Bruce, Jack reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a length of rope. He met my eyes, and I could still see some of the maniac anger. He held the rope out to me. "Tie his hands." He said it like some kind of order.

I nodded, taking the rope and kneeling down beside Bruce. I tried to bind his hands, but he kept struggling.

"Who are you?" he said. His voice was thick from a split lip. "What do you want?"

"Just shut up and let the girl tie your hands," Jack replied, sounding annoyed.

Bruce grunted and stopped struggling. For a second, I actually thought he was going to cooperate. I leaned in to start tying his hands. The moment I did, he let out a strangled cry and aimed a sharp kick right at my chest. I fell back, hitting my head against the cold hard floor. My chest was exploding with pain, same with my head. I could feel the blood rushing and I knew what was happening.

Damned leukemia.

"You bastard!" Jack let out a roar of rage. He hauled Bruce to his feet and slammed him against the lockers, punching him repeatedly until he passed out then throwing him down to the floor.

At the point, I was starting to lose consciousness. Everything was hazy and blurred; the room seemed to spin. The last thing I remember before blacking out was Jack ripping off his mask and sinking to his knees beside me, his arms lifting me from the floor.

"Vivi…"

At some point later on, I woke up completely alone in a hospital room and feeling like absolute crap. I couldn't remember what I was doing there for a moment, and then it all came back to me. The dance, the fight and then me passing out. I groaned. How ironic is it that a mission that's supposed to help cure my leukemia fails because my leukemia acts up? I wondered what happened to Jack. Hopefully, he'd come and explain everything.

Right then I heard the door swing open, and right on cue, Jack walks in. Without the clown mask, I could clearly see the blackish blue bruises scattered all over his face. He smirked at me, but it looked pained.

"And Sleeping Beauty finally awakens!" He walked over and sat at the edge of my bed.

I frowned. "How long was I out?"

"A good two days."

My eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

I glanced quickly around the room and asked, "So what happened with… you know…?"

Jack sighed. "Well, after you passed out, I moved Wayne into a storage closet and then I called an ambulance. I told them the blood on my suit was from you."

"And Bruce?" I pressed. "What happened when they found him in a storage closet?"

"Well shit kinda hit the fan," Jack said bluntly. He reached over and picked up a newspaper on my night table. I read the headline: HEIR TO WAYNE ENTERPRISES FOUND BEATEN AND LOCKED IN STORAGE CLOSET.

I scanned the article, reading important phrases outloud. "Bruce Wayne, heir to the multi-million dollar company Wayne Enterprises, was found unconscious and severely beaten in a janitorial supply closest in Gotham High School late Friday night after the school's Spring Dance…authorities are conducting a full investigation…his father is offering a monetary reward to anyone with any information on the attack…Wayne has been hospitalized for severe head trauma and other injuries…He had no memory of his attacker or how he came to be in the supply closet." I looked up from the article. "Geez Jack, how hard did you hit him?"

Jack just smiled sheepishly. "You're lucky I did hit him that hard. If he remembered us, we'd be screwed."

I set the paper down and leaned back against my pillow, closing my eyes with exasperation. "We really could have thought this through a little better."

Jack gave me a sideways look. "You think?"

I sighed. "We didn't even get any information…" So this was it then? Our plan failed. I was going to die, just like that.

Jack suddenly perked up. "Oh I forgot!" He searched his pockets frantically and pulled out a plastic card. "I went through Wayne's wallet and I found this."

I looked at the card. It looked like some kind of ID for Wayne Enterprises. I brightened up immediately. "So you can use this to log in to the Wayne Enterprises computer system?"

Jack shook his head. "No. It's just an access card to get into the building. It doesn't really have anything to do with the computer system."

I raised my eyebrows. "So what are we supposed to do with it?"

"Well it's simple," he replied. That mischievous grin appeared on his face and I knew this wasn't going to be good. "We're going to have to break in to the Wayne Enterprises office building."

* * *

_**Yeah! Another chapter! I'm on a roll haha**_

_**I actually love writing action scenes so this chapter was pretty fun to write :D**_

_**Well thanks for reading! (:**_

_**Review!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

_Vivienne's POV_

I laughed and told Jack he was stupid and crazy. Stupid for even suggesting we break into Wayne Enterprises just days after the CEO's son found beaten. Crazy for actually believing it would work.

He, of course, argued that it was a great plan, and then we almost got into a shouting match right there in the hospital room. After about ten minutes, I gave in. Maybe it's the fact that I've really got nothing left to lose, but taking risks like that didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. So what if I got caught? There really wasn't much you could do to punish someone who was going to die soon anyways.

Jack was the one who should be worried but he didn't have a care in the world.

We decided to execute the mission two Saturday's later, just a few days after newspapers reported that Bruce had been released from the hospital. I had arrived at his house that morning armed with a pair of scissors, a comb and black hair-dye. I began Phase One: "Get Jack to Somewhat Resemble Bruce Wayne" in his living room. It smelled like cigarettes and beer cans were everywhere, but I knew better than to say anything.

I had already combed out Jack's hair (no easy task by the way) and I was attempting to trim it in a style resembling Bruce's. The difference was, Bruce probably had some kind of professional stylist and I hadn't needed to manage hair in years. After half an hour, I had managed to give him a cut that was good enough. It would work….from a distance.

"This is only temporary dye. For Holloween and stuff," I reassured Jack, assaulting his hair with black dye. He just grunted in response. I smirked.

I ran my fingers quickly through his hair and then stepped back. "Done." Jack hopped off the stool and went into the bathroom.

"_Oh god..._" I heard him exclaim the second he walked in. He reappeared a moment later, touching his fingers to the ends of his hair and giving me a disbelieving look.

"Well?" I asked. "What do you think?" I wasn't really asking him if he actually liked the haircut (which he obviously didn't), but I wondering whether or not he thought it would pass for Bruce Wayne.

He sighed. "It'll do." And I guess that was the best we could've hoped for anyways. As long as nobody got too close, we should be set.

Jack picked up his dress clothes from where they were sprawled on the couch. They were the same one's he'd worn to the dance. He'd gotten the bloodstains out, of course.

"I'm going to change." He disappeared into the bathroom.

I settled down on the couch and glanced around the house. It was pretty much how I expected, with the cigarette smell and beer cans and all. What I really hadn't been expecting was the silence. There was no TV blaring, nobody shuffling around upstairs…I'd heard nothing but the _snip-snip_ of scissors as I cut Jack's hair.

To be honest, I'd been somewhat nervous to come to Jack's house. I was a afraid I'd see Jack's family get into some crazy fight or maybe his dad getting drunk or his mom bringing home some random guy. But, as it turned out, Jack's parents spent their Saturday's sleeping off hangovers from the night before. They wouldn't be awake before 1 in the afternoon, Jack had told me.

Of course, I bet it wasn't always peaceful. Definitely not in a neighborhood like that. Sure it was nice and quiet at 10am, but what happens when the sun goes down? I remembered back to the first day I'd met Jack, the night I had decided to go skating and he'd warned me to leave the neighborhood. So much had changed since then, it felt like years ago. I'd hated Jack then. Now, if this plan miraculously works, I'd be in his debt for saving my life.

What a world we lived in.

Jack came back from the bathroom, still trying to fix his hair. I rolled my eyes. He leaned against the wall and looked at me. "How do I look?"

I bit my lip. Anyone who personally knew Bruce Wayne would see through the disguise for sure. Hopefully, we would just be running into simple office workers, people who just knew Bruce at a distance. "It'll do," I finally said.

He nodded and grabbed a manilla envelope that lay on the counter. Inside were all the codes Jack hacked from Wayne Enterprises. He reached in the envelope and took out the ID card he'd stolen from Bruce. He slid in into his jacket pocket, winking at me.

"So we're good to go?" he said, tucking the manilla envelope under his arm.

I nodded. "Yeah, we're good to go."

We had to take a bus to Wayne Enterprises, and since it was on the other side of Gotham, I knew the ride would take a while. I stared out the window the whole time, taking in parts of the city I'd never seen before. We passed a skatepark, and I stared after it longingly. I hadn't gone skating since the night I'd met Jack; my mom had pretty much forbidden it. Maybe if I asked, she let me go one last time…

Out of nowhere, Jack burst into laughter beside me. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but Jack had a pretty messed up laugh. It's loud and it comes without warning, not even smiling before he does it. The sound was almost like a cackling. A few heads turned and glanced our way.

"What's so funny?" I hissed.

He kept on laughing, but quieter. "I was just thinking about the situation we seem to be in right now." He lowered his voice. "I'm disguised as Bruce Wayne because we need to infiltrate Wayne Enterprises using and ID card I stole from him in plan that involved you to somehow seduce him. But since that plan didn't work, you've now got to help me break in to a high-security office building. We're breaking the _law_, just so you can get the money for some life saving operation." He let out a sharp burst of laughter. "The world is a fucked up place."

He'd pretty much summed up the past few weeks. I stared at him. "And that's funny to you?"

His expression suddenly went serious. "Not funny, _amusing_. There's a difference."

I rolled my eyes. "You're crazy, you know that?"

He gazed at me. "No," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "No, I'm not."

I raised my eyebrows, but didn't continue on with the subject. Instead, I asked, "Why are you doing this? Why do all this just to save my life?" After his little declaration, I realized for the first time just how much he'd done and I really didn't even know why.

"Well," he began. "First of all, I've really got nothing to lose. So while this might seem like some kind of big risk to you, it actually nothing to me. Second, don't be so full of yourself." He smirked at me. "I'm not doing it just for you. Wayne deserves everything that happens to him because of this whole thing, and I'm taking great pleasure in making him suffer. Lastly, you deserved to life. Simple as that. You've done nothing wrong, why should you die just because you can't afford to pay?"

My cheeks flushed a little at the last part of what he said, and I wasn't sure how to reply. Thankfully, the bus pulled to a stop right then. I looked out the window and saw we were just a few blocks away from where Wayne Enterprises was supposed to be.

As he rose from the seat, Jack whispered in my ear, "And… here we go."

* * *

**_I've just had crazy inspiration for this story and I'm loving it! There's a couple TDK references in this chapter, I wonder if anyone can find them... ;)_**

**_The next chapter's coming soon so don't worry!_**

**_Thanks for reading! Review :D_**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

_Vivienne's POV_

The Wayne Enterprises office complex was made up of a giant central tower that rose high above the other nearby skyscrapers and surrounding smaller buildings. By the modern style of the structures and the neat landscaping, you could totally tell the place made bank. Formally dressed workers streamed in and out the various buildings, nobody gave us a second glance. I checked the directory and found out my destination was Building F.

"I guess this is it." I sighed and faced Jack as we came to courtyard. "Good luck."

"You too." He nodded stiffly.

Without another word, I speed-walked through the property and searched for Building F. I tried to seem casual, but I knew I had to hurry. Finally, the building in question came into sight. A sign hung on the door proclaiming it as 'Wayne Enterprises Head Security Offices'. I took a deep breath and went inside.

The entrance room was a dimly lit room sparsely decorated with only a few waiting chairs and a large desk that ran the length of the room. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY was printed on the door behind the desk.

Manning the front desk was a bored looking security guard who seemed like he'd rather be at a donut shop. He peered at me with suspicious eyes as I walked it.

"What do you want?" he asked. I noticed from his nametag that he went by Robert.

I tried to put on my best 'sweet, innocent girl' voice. "My dad, Joshua Mason, left a few things in his office. Would it be okay if I just grabbed them for him real quick?" I flashed him a quick, almost sheepish smile.

"You're Joshua's daughter?" His eyes were fixated on my bald head and his suspicious look was gone. My dad must have told him about me. Now the guard stared at me, full of pity. I'd been given that look more times then I can count.

I nodded at him and he smiled kindly.

"Yeah sure, go ahead sweetheart." He pushed a button and the AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY door swung open.

I muttered a quick thanks as I practically ran through, wondering if that guard would've been as nice if I didn't have leukemia. Then again, I wouldn't even have been there if I didn't have leukemia.

* * *

Jack stood in the shadows of the building directly across the street from Wayne Enterprises, waiting for his signal. It was early afternoon, the sidewalk was filled with people and traffic clogged the roads. Jack watched the passing people, completely amazed with the idea that these people were within feet of someone about to commit a major crime, and they had no idea. They carried on, completely oblivious. It was amusing, so very _amusing_.

Jack's phone suddenly vibrated from his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open.

"I'm in," Vivi's voice sounded from the receiver. In the background, he could hear the sounds of her typing something into a keyboard. "You know that room you see in movies with all the security monitors? Well, I've found it."

"Great," Jack replied, almost whispering. He withdrew further into the shadows. "Now where do I go?"

"Umm…hold on," He heard more tapping of keys and the sound of her inhaling sharply. "Alright, Bruce's office is on the 53rd floor, second highest story. His office takes up the entire floor."

"Alright, 53rd floor got it," he replied, moving from the shadows and making his way across the street.

"Okay, Jack," she said. "I'll watch the monitors and let you know-_oh damn_!" She started cursing furiously into the phone.

"Vivi?" Jack said, slowing his pace. She didn't reply, continuing with her rapid cursing. "What's going on?"

After a moment, she replied, "Alright, Jack there's not much time. There's a slight problem..."

"What do you mean there's not much time? What's happening?" Jack demanded, growing annoying. Just when things seemed to be going right…

"Jack," Vivi whispered, sounding grave. "The real Bruce Wayne is here. Right now, in the security building."

I was on the phone with Jack, explaining where to find Bruce's office, when I heard voices in the entrance room. I knew one of them to be Robert, the security guard, but I wasn't sure about the other. It was slurred and thick, but I vaguely recognized it from somewhere. Then I realized: Bruce Wayne. I let out a whispered stream of curses.

"…so glad you're recovering, Mr. Wayne," Robert said.

"Yes, well I'd still like to find out 'bout my attacker," he muttered. "You got all the case files right here?"

"Right in the main security office," Robert replied. "Everything from our own investigations plus the police reports."

"Good, good," Bruce said, his speech still hard to understand. I wondered if he still had the split lip or if Jack had actually given him some kind head trauma that affected his speech.

I head them coming down the hallway and realized they were headed straight toward this room.

Panicking, I told Jack, " Alright, Jack there's not much time. There's a slight problem..."

"What do you mean there's not much time? What's happening?"

"Jack," I hissed, just as the doorknob started turning. "The real Bruce Wayne is here. Right now, in the security builing." And then I hung up on him.

The door opened and I quickly made it looked like I was looking for something. Bruce and Robert walked in and immediately stopped talking when they saw me. Robert just looked surprised and a little angry. Bruce, however, was staring at me with wide eyes.

"I know you from somewhere."

* * *

**_AHH I'm just loving this story right now! _**

**_Sadly, it's almost coming to a close. I think there's about 2-3 chapter left, plus the epilogue..._**

**_Well, thanks for reading! :D_**


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Jack stared at the phone with wide eyes after Vivi had hung up on him. _The real Bruce was there? _He couldn't believe that things had taken such a turn. He tried calling Vivi back several times, but she didn't pick up. He shrugged and continued inside the main building of Wayne Enterprises. Vivi was a smart girl; she could get herself out of trouble. Jack wasn't worried.

Jack felt out of place the moment he walked it. The interior was of a very modern, rich looking design. Wide windows and modern artwork adored the main lobby. A bubbling fountain with the water spurting from some abstract statue was situated in the center of the floor. Try to be as inconspicuous as possible, Jack made his way to the nearest elevator and took it up to the 48th floor. The ride seemed to take forever.

Finally, the doors opened and he found himself in the office Bruce Wayne.

_Oh, this is going to be fun..._

_

* * *

_

I froze, a wave of panic flooding through me. He recognized me. He knew who I was. He knew I was the girl who had led him to being severely beaten the night of the dance. A lump formed in my throat. Another failure, it was over; I was going to die.

To my surprised, Bruce laughed. "Yeah, I know you," he said. "You're that girl who's always hanging out with that _freak_, Jack."

First, I felt relief. So he didn't recognize me from the dance, thank God. Then I felt anger, at his comment. _That freak Jack…_The urge to defend Jack boiled inside of me. He was the best friend I had ever known; he was trying to save my _life_. Spiting words towards Bruce were at the tip of my tongue, but I held back, remembering my mission.

"Yeah," I said, trying to sound calm and casual, like he hadn't just insulted my best friend. I felt Robert the Security Guard staring at me, but he kept silent. "And you're…?"

"Bruce," he said, flashing me a charming grin just like he had at the dance. "Bruce Wayne."

I returned the smile, every muscle in my mouth urging to spit at his feet instead. "Nice to meet you," I said to Bruce. Then I turned to Robert, quickly making of an excuse. "I couldn't find my dad's stuff in his office, so I thought it might be in here." I shrugged. "But I guess not. Thanks for you help."

Without another word, I turned and practically sprinted out of the security building. Once I was outside, I actually did sprint out of the Wayne Enterprises property and down the street a few blocks.

If we got through this without one of us getting arrested, I'd have to thank Jack for punching Bruce so hard.

* * *

Jack settled into Bruce's high-backed leather chair and stared around the office. The place was a little to fancy for his taste, but after snooping through all of drawers of Bruce's desk, Jack had found a handgun, something he thought was a nice touch. He spent a few minutes going through all of Bruce's things, making sure to completely disorganize everything. Being in the office of his greatest enemy, he figured might as well have some fun with it.

Finally, he powered on the hi-tech looking computer and began his work. It was very precise work. The security system for the Wayne Enterprises computers was very tight; one error in typing in a code and the entire system would shut itself down. After about ten minutes of careful, flurried typing, Jack had managed to transfer half a million dollars from Bruce's personal savings to the Mason family's bank account under an anonymous name. He spent another five minutes erasing all evidence of the transfer from the Wayne Enterprises database.

Just as he finished and got up to leave, Jack heard the dinging sound of the elevator; someone was just out side. Jack froze, his entire body going tense with anticipation. Things were about to get interesting.

The door opened then, revealing Bruce Wayne himself and some security guard. A wave of anger came over Jack, just like it did every time he was in the presence of Bruce Wayne. He was everything Jack saw wrong with the world, all wrapped up into one person. Jack couldn't stand it.

Without hesitation, without even _thinking, _Jack pulled the gun from Bruce's desk drawer and shot at Bruce, the bullet hitting him right in the stomach. He gasped and fell back against the doorframe, clutching his abdomen. Jack pointed the gun at the security guard and pulled the trigger. The guy went down, clutching his bleeding leg.

Jack was bolting toward the door when he felt a sudden pain shoot up his shoulder. He clasped his hand across his shoulder and felt blood. He looked up and saw the now unconscious security guard had a smoking pistol in his hand.

Jack cursed and gripped his throbbing shoulder. Gritting his teeth in pain, he sprinted out of the office, down the emergency stairwell and out of the building.

* * *

I was sitting in a park bench, just a few blocks from Wayne Enterprises, when I felt my cell phone vibrate. I was relieved to see Jack's name flashing on the screen; I'd been worried. After booking it out of the security office, I had no idea what was going on at Wayne Enterprises.

"Hello?" I said.

"Vivi," he gasped in reply. He sounded weak, his breathing heavy. "We've run into a slight problem. I need you to do exactly as I say."

"What? Jack what did you-" I started to ask, alarmed by the pain and urgency I could hear in his voice.

"I'll explain later," he interrupted. He inhaled sharply and then asked, "Is there any kind of drug store or something near where you are?"

I thought back and remembered passing a CVS on my way to the park. "Yeah," I said, completely confused. "There's a CVS just down the street."

"Alright great," he said. "I need you to go there and get bandages and antiseptic. I'm in the alley across the street from Wayne Enterprises, meet me there."

"_Why_?" I asked, his strange request making me worried.

"I'll explain later!" he snapped. "Just go!"

He hung up, and I made my way to the CVS, trying not to think of why Jack would be in need of medical supplies.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the specified alleyway. My mouth literally fell open when I caught sight of Jack just lying there, propped up against the brick alley wall. He was muttering curses, his mouth twisted into a grimace. His hand was clutching his shoulder; I could see the blood soaking his fingers.

"What _happened_?" I gasped, kneeling beside him and pulling out the bandages and antiseptic from the plastic shopping bag. I took off my bandanna and applied

"Bruce and some freakin' security guard caught me," he said, pulling down his sleeve so I could start cleaning out the wound. It was nasty and that's coming from the girl who's had to spend 75% of her time in the hospital. "The guard had a pistol on him."

"And he shot you? Just like that?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, I _may_ have provoked them, just a little." He winced as I wrapped the bandage tightly around his shoulder.

"Provoked how?" I remembered Robert's seemingly laid back demeanor. What could Jack have done that would make actually pull out at gun?

"Doesn't matter. Let's just say they weren't in any condition to track me down." He shook his head and slowly stood up. He took a step forward and then stumbled backward against the brick wall; his face going pale. I made to go help him but he shot me an annoyed look.

"I can walk," he insisted. Stubborn determination plain on his face, he took a few uneasy steps forward. "Come on, we'll take the bus back to my house."

He staggered out of the alley and continued down the street. I walked alongside him, glancing at him every so often to make sure he didn't collapse or anything. Just as we got to the bus stop, I asked him what I had been dying to know since he'd told me there'd been a problem.

"So were you still able to transfer the money?" I held my breath, afraid of the answer.

He smirked and chuckled darkly. "Yeah. It's all set. You're going to _live_."

* * *

**_Well that was quite the action packed chapter haha_**

**_I hope you enjoyed it. I'm thinking maybe one last chapter until the epilogue._**

**_Anyways, thanks for reading! :D_**


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

_Vivienne's POV_

For days afterward, all that anyone talked about was Bruce Wayne and a security guard being found with gunshot wounds, and I realized what Jack had meant when he had 'provoked' them. I'll admit, I should probably be more concerned with the fact that Jack had _shot_ two people, but really, I was grateful, even a little impressed. Besides, Jack hadn't even been shooting to kill; both Bruce and Robert were treated at the hospital and released a couple days later. No harm done. At least, that's what I tried to tell myself.

Thankfully, nobody had any idea who it was. Nearly everyday on the news, they played the same grainy security footage of a lanky, raven-haired assailant whipping out a gun and shooting down Bruce and the security guard. It was crazy to watch, knowing it was Jack. It was even more surreal to think that part of the reason he was doing it was for my sake.

A few days after our little heist, my parents received a notification from the bank that they'd received an anonymous donation of $500,000 for my treatment. My dad gripped my mother tightly as she cried tears of absolute joy. Over and over, she thanked God for the generous angel.

_It was Jack! _I wanted to scream. _You know the one you look at like he's a pile of dirt? He's the 'generous angel'! _Not that 'Jack' and 'angel' really fit together in the same sentence. Still, it didn't seem right that, after everything, I would be the only one to know what Jack had done.

A week later, there I was, sitting in the Gotham General Hospital's surgical ward waiting room with Jack and my parents. My operation was scheduled to happen in just a few minutes. I was going to live, and not only that, I was going to be _cured_. I hadn't thought much about that before, but in the last week I'd realized that, after this operation, the cancer would be gone. No more hospital visits, no more sickness, no more weird stares. And, though I'm normally not this type of girl, I was actually looking forward to getting my hair back.

My parents had eventually gone to get coffee, leaving me and Jack alone. He'd brought a deck of cards and was showing me a variety of pretty cool tricks.

"How do you do that?" I asked in awe after the umpteenth time he'd correctly guessed my card.

"Magic," he replied dryly, making me roll my eyes. He shuffled the cards again and told me to pick one, look at it and then put it back. I looked and saw I'd gotten the Joker. After a series of complicated shuffles, he put the deck down and drew the top card.

"This it?" He showed me the card. A court jester dressed in the classic striped outfit and hat was printed on it. The Joker.

"Dammit." He was right…again.

"Mmm… the Joker," he said, looking at the card with a contemplating expression. "Such an interesting card."

"And why is that?" I asked, curious as the how he could be so fascinated by a playing card.

"Because there's so much _variation_ to it, all depending on the game you play," he said, twiddling the card in his fingers. "Sometimes having it causes you to lose, other times you need it to win. It's a wild card, unique, _one of a kind_."

"Like you." I said the words without even thinking.

"Like me," he agreed. "I've caused Bruce Wayne to lose a little bit of dignity and half a million dollars, and I've caused you to win your life back. It all depends on the _game_." He let out a bark of laughter.

I didn't say anything, thinking about what he'd said. He really though of this whole thing as a game?

"Vivienne Mason?" a voice called behind me. I turned and saw a nurse standing the doorway. I got up, my heart starting to pound with anxiety. Looking back one last time, I caught met Jack's eye. He gave me a reassuring kind of smirk and then started shuffling the deck in front of him.

Sighing, I turned away and followed the nurse down the hall.

* * *

Patience had never exactly been a strength of Jack's, and it didn't help that the people he was waiting with hated him. Vivi's parents had come back a few minutes after Vivi had gone with the nurse. He'd told them were she went and that was it for conversation. Absently shuffling the deck of cards over and over again, Jack was left to his own thoughts.

He thought about Vivi and the past few months of their friendship. He remembered the first day they'd met. She didn't have that typical shy-new-girl look to her. In fact, the look she'd worn was confident. She'd been dealing with weird stares her whole life; it was nothing new. And then, just to test how self-assured she was, Jack had started making fun of her. Her response didn't disappoint; the moment she'd flipped him off, Jack knew they were going to get along great.

And then he'd seen her that night in the skatepark, all alone in an obviously dangerous neighborhood. She had guts, he had to admit. That same night, he saw his opportunity to get closer to her. The next day he'd gotten it settled; he was going to bring her assignments to her.

Weeks went by, and Vivi warmed up to him. He never forgot the look on her face the first time he'd come to visit her when there wasn't any assignments to bring. She'd been surprised at him showing up, but Jack knew that it was on that day, by unspoken agreement, they became best friends.

Shortly after that came Vivi's panicked phone call telling him she was dying. He couldn't believe it. After finally finding the one person he could get along with, the one person he didn't absolutely hate, he finds out she's going to die. There had to be something he could do, something to prevent it.

And there was. Sure they'd almost been arrested a couple times, Vivi had to be sent to the hospital and he had gotten shot, but Jack didn't regret a moment of it all.

Now here he was, sitting in the hospital, waiting for the moment the doctor would come out and announce that Vivi was cured. The procedure really took about an hour, but it seemed like ages to Jack. Finally, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall and the same nurse from earlier reappeared.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

Vivi's parents made to get up and Jack did too, but the nursed shook her head at him.

"I'm sorry ," she said. "But it's just her parents for right now."

Reluctantly, Jack sat back down into the chair and watched Mr. and Mrs. Mason disappear down the hallway.

* * *

After what seemed like forever, someone came back into the waiting room. It was Vivi's father, looking extremely grave. He stepped into the room and sat down in a chair across from Jack, not looking at him.

"Mr. Mason," Jack said, trying to keep calm. "Is Vivi alright?"

Vivi's father looked up and stared directly at Jack. "No," he replied in barely more than a whisper. "She's dead."

Jack's heart skipped a beat. No, she couldn't be. It was impossible, after everything he'd done the make sure she stayed alive. It seemed like some kind of crue joke. He was speechless for a moment and choked, "The operation was supposed to cure her. How-?"

"It was a newly discovered procedure," Vivi's father said, his eyes cast downward as if speaking to the floor. "There are risks and this is the first time it was performed at Gotham General."

Jack had his head in his hands as he tried to process what he'd just heard. He couldn't imagine her gone, lifeless. "She can't be…" Jack muttered half to himself.

"She is," Vivi's father replied. There was a moment of silence between them, Jack still grappling with the thought of Vivi's death. Finally, Mr. Mason looked up and said, "There's something else, Jack. We know you were the one who beat Bruce Wayne the night of the dance, trespassed into his office and shot him and the security guard."

Jack's eyes went wide and he clutched the armrests of the chair. This couldn't be happening. First Vivi's dead and now this? The two things he'd feared the most had just come true. It had to be some sort of nightmare.

"How do you know it was me?" Jack finally managed to say.

"I recognized you when reviewing the security footage in Bruce's office. I saw you using the ID card that Bruce reported stolen from him the night of the dance. I put two and two together."

Jack didn't say a word. Any minute now, he expected the police to come swarming in.

Mr. Mason went on. "The Wayne Enterprises accounting team reported $500,000 dollars missing. Two days later, I received a call from my bank saying that I'd received a donation of $500,000 dollars." He paused. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you somehow hacked into the Wayne Enterprises computer system and transferred the $500,000 into my bank account."

"Yeah," Jack said through gritted teeth. There was no point in denying it now. "That was me." _But it was all for nothing because she's dead,_ Jack thought bitterly.

Mr. Mason took a deep breath. "Look, I appreciate how much you tried, I really do, but the fact is you've broken the law. I'm going to have to report you to the police."

"You ungrateful bastard!" Jack snapped. He rose from his chair, but Mr. Mason didn't seem alarmed.

"I'm giving you half an hour," Mr. Mason said calmly. "Half an hour to go home and do whatever you need to do. After that, I'm going to call the police, and don't even think about running. The entire city of Gotham is going to be looking for you; there's nowhere to go."

Jack stood there for a moment with his hands balled up into fists, hot anger surging through him. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many accusations her wanted to scream at Vivienne's father, but he only had half an hour left as a free man and he wasn't going to waste another minute of it in that damned hospital.

With one last angry glare, Jack turned and ran out of the hospital.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jack arrived home. He'd biked like a maniac to get home and was absolutely exhausted as a result, but he didn't care. His mind was on Vivi.

He parked his bike in the garage and started pacing hysterically. He couldn't think straight; clear, conscious thought was slipping from him. All he could focus on was seeing her again, one last time before being shipped off to prison. Imprisonment would've been worth it if she'd stayed alive.

She was the first and only person to who genuinely cared about him. He could say anything he wanted to her and she wouldn't care, wouldn't judge. The world was a messed up place, he'd realized that years ago. But he saw hope in Vivi. She was someone who would've agreed with him. He could have shown her living life his way.

But now she was gone. Completely and utter loneliness engulfed him, and he finally snapped.

Vivi's death, his parents, his isolation from everybody else…everything wrong in his life suddenly came crashing down in his mind and he couldn't take it. All the hurt and the sorrow he'd kept pent up for his entire life was suddenly released in a burst of hysteria.

He'd finally done it. The mental breakdown was happening.

Jack slammed his fists against one of the cabinets in the garage. It swung open, and Jack noticed a can of green spray paint inside. It was the exact shade of green Vivi's bandana had been that day.

Jack seized the spray paint and went over to a dusty, old mirror that hung over a pile of junk. He sprayed the green mist all over his hair, turning it his dirty blond locks a nasty yellow-green color. It wasn't the color of the bandana but close enough.

Jack had an idea. He was going to recreate Vivi on his own face, just to see her one last time. It was crazy, but that didn't matter. His mind was beyond rational thought.

Taking on the demeanor of a frenzied animal, Jack ravaged his garage for what he would need to become her. Amidst the piles of junk, Jack found a tray of greasepaint make up that was probably left over from his mother's days as a Vegas showgirl. He brought the tray over to the dingy mirror and tried to recall Vivi's appearance as he'd last seen her.

She had been pale, he remembered. Her face never seemed to have a healthy pallor. Still thinking of Vivi, Jack reached for the white paint and smeared it all over his face. He looked back into the mirror, his mind still on the image of Vivi and trying to remember what else there was to do.

He reached down, took some of the black greasepaint and applied it heavily around his eyes in a raccoon-like style. Vivi often had circles under her eyes. Jack stared back at his reflection. _What else was there?_

Vivi had been smiling, that was it. She'd given him a small smile just before leaving with the nurse; her dark lips had stood out against the paleness of her skin. Jack dipped his fingers into the red greasepaint and spread it across his lips and up his cheek, creating the illusion of a smile.

But that was all it was: an illusion. It looked completely fake; the pained manic that was set in Jack's expression made it so. Vivi's smile had been real, and Jack couldn't have his recreation look any other way.

"Dammit Jack, _smile_…," he growled to himself, But he couldn't. His hurting, breaking heart wouldn't allow it.

Frustrated, he threw the greasepaint across the room. He was breathing heavily, slowly turning back to the mirror. He glared at his own reflection, displeased. He snarled, "Why so serious? _Let's put a smile on that face._"

Very slowly, very deliberately he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife he carried around with him. He brought the blade to his lips, opened his mouth ever so slightly and slashed upward across his right cheek. He did the same to his left. Blood pooled quickly from both sides of his mouth, but he barely felt the pain.

Jack gazed into the mirror. He vision was starting to fade as he lost more and more blood. He studied the reflection before him. In his blurred state of vision, it really did look like Vivi standing before him.

But there was something else. With his painted face and green hair, Jack realized he resembled a clown. He started laughing and pulled out the Joker card from the deck still in his pocket. He was a clown, a _Joker_.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw the flashing lights of police cars turning onto the street. His half hour was up; they were coming for him. Watching the police cars pull into his driveway, Jack realized something else about the Joker.

Sometimes it would win someone the game, other times it made them loose, but most of the time it wasn't even included. It was cast aside, having no place in the game. It wasn't _needed. _The police were coming to take Jack away and he knew nobody would miss him, he wasn't _needed_. The only time he'd been needed was the race to save Vivi's life, but now that game was over.

He cackled manically. He was the Joker in the deck of cards called life.

Still laughing, Jack collapsed to the hard concrete floor as the blood loss became too. The last thing he saw before passing out was a squad of police streaming into his garage.

* * *

**_Well that was was quite a chapter, my longest yet actually..._**

**_So there you have it. The story of how Jack looses his mind, dons the facepaint and becomes the Joker. I've had that scene in my head for a while and I'm so glad it's finally been written! I was actually listening to Korn as I wrote that last section. They're a great band and their songs happen to work well when writing about someone totally losing their mind haha_**

**_Yes, this is the last chapter but there's an epilogue coming soon so don't be sad! :D_**

**_Thanks so much for reading! ^_^_**


	16. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

_12 years later, during the events of __The Dark Knight_

The Joker sat at the small kitchen table in his latest hideout, doodling and adding his own annotations to the day's paper. After just having successfully robbed another one of the Mob's banks, his mood was as good as a psychopathic clown's mood could be. He laughed to himself as he added a moustache to a picture of some woman in the obituaries. Just then, the walkie-talkie in his pocket went off.

"Hey boss?" It was one of the hired goons the Joker had placed outside his hideout to keep watch.

"What is it, _Lenny_?" The Joker smiled. The goon's real name was Larry, and the Joker knew that. He also knew that Larry was too scared of him to say something about it, which greatly amused the Joker.

"There's some lady out here, says she wants to see you," Larry said.

The Joker clicked his tongue impatiently. "Send her in. I'm, uh, in the mood for a visitor." He pulled one of the many knives in his pocket and placed it on the table. Just in case.

A moment later the door opened, and a relatively young woman walked in, shutting the door behind her. She was tall and willowy, with a pretty face and fair skin. Her hair was a dark red color and waved gently down to the middle of her back. She stopped and stood before him. There was fear in her eyes, but not much. She looked at the Joker with an almost analytical gaze.

"Sit down," the Joker said, gesturing to the chair directly across from him. She sat down and the Joker stared at her for a moment before speaking again.

"So, beautiful, why exactly are you here? Hmm?" The Joker leaned forward and looked at her with a curious expression. "What's your name?"

The woman sighed, met his eyes and said, "It's me, Vivi Mason." She looked at him expectantly.

There was a moment of absolute silence between them, and then the Joker broke into a loud burst of hysterical laughter. He slapped his hands on the table, his eyes watering from laughing so hard. Finally, he composed himself, and said:

"You're supposed to be _dead_. Gone, deceased, no longer _alive_." He licked his lips and looked at her sideways. His day had taken quite the turn. Vivi Mason hadn't crossed his mind in years. He wasn't sure if this reunion was good or bad. The look in her eyes told him that his reaction had confirmed her suspicious: Jack had become the Joker.

"I know," Vivi said. "It was a lie; I was cured."

"Well, I can see that." The Joker raised his eyebrows. "Now _why_ would you lie about your own death, hmm?" He inclined his head and peeked up at her.

"It was my dad's idea. I had no part of it," she said, he voice shaking though she sounded defensive. "He found out what you had done to Bruce, and he didn't want us to be friends anymore. He made you think I was dead, and then he had you arrested so there was no way we'd be able to see each other again." She paused and then said, "I've never forgiven him for that."

"How did you find me? How did you know to look _here_, in my old house?" The Joker gestured vaguely around his old, abandoned home that he now used as his hideout. He leaned dangerously back in his chair.

"I just came here on a whim, thinking that, even if you weren't here, I could find clues," Vivi replied, sounding confused. She'd thought he'd be more curious about what her father had done.

The Joker brought his chair down with a loud thud. "How did you know who I was?"

She shrugged, now seeming more relaxed. "I saw you on the news. I remembered your laugh. And then the things you said…they sounded like something you would say. So I knew I had to go looking for you."

"You went _looking_ for the psychopathic killing clown?" The Joker shook his head in mock disbelief. "And you always said _I_ was crazy!" Vivi didn't say anything. The Joker let out an exaggerated sigh. "Now what am I gonna do with you?"

"Do with me?" Vivi gasped.

The Joker gave her an annoyed look. "What did you think, I was just going let you go free? No, no, _no_."

Vivi now looked terrified. The Joker laughed. "Now don't look so nervous. I think I'm gonna give you a chance."

"A chance?" Vivi repeated uncertainly.

"You're too…useful to die. Too smart…too much of a fighter. It would be a waste." The Joker gave her that mischievous grin she had seen all too often twelve years ago. "So, I'm giving you a chance. A chance to join me."

Vivi stared at him, speechless. She hadn't expected that offer. "J-join you?"

The Joker nodded. "We make a good team, you and I. Together, we can _change_ things, disrupt this order, introduce a little _chaos_." He licked his lips and tilted his head. "What do you say?"

"I-I…no!" Vivi exclaimed. "You kill people! I can't join you, Jack." His real name slipped from her tongue. The Joker gave her a menacing glare and then leapt from his chair, knife in hand.

"First, don't call me that," he growled menacingly. He grabbed her head and yanked her against his chest, placing the blade of his knife on her throat. "Second, you know what happens if you don't join me." He made a very thin cut across her neck for emphasis.

"I know," she choked, her eyes watering. "But…I can't. Please…"

"You've become one of _them_," he hissed, turning her around so that she faced him and their faces were centimeters apart. "You can't see things clearly. You can't see how things should _really_ be. All you see is how _society_ says things should be."

"I-" Vivi began but went silence as the Joker placed a gloved finger on her lips and made a shushing noise.

"I had hope for you," he said softly. "I thought you were like me. I thought we could change this world together. But now, I see I'm alone." He cackled. "The lone cancer cell, that's what I am. I'm not like the others. I don't follow the rules; I do what I please. I cause chaos and destruction with my _different_ ways."

"The cancer didn't kill you then," he whispered. "But it's going to kill you now."

He looked into Vivi's wide, panicked eyes one last time, and then slashed his knife across her throat.

**_

* * *

_**

**_It's over now! Wow, I've been working on this story for over a year! I can't believe it's finally done._**

**_So yes, the Joker does end up killing Vivi in the end. Tragic, I know, but I really think that's what the Joker would do and I want to keep him in character as much as possible._**

**_But anyways, thanks so much to all those who've stuck by me with this story! Thanks for all the reviews, the Alerts and the Favorites! It means so much! :D_**


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